Home » Hair » Hair Loss » Rep. Ayanna Pressley: Speaking Honestly about Hair Loss and Alopecia

Rep. Ayanna Pressley: Speaking Honestly about Hair Loss and Alopecia

Published: Last Updated on

US Representative Ayanna Pressley is a history maker and a game changer.  She was the first black woman elected to the Boston City Council, and in 2018 became the first African American woman elected to represent Massachusetts in Congress.  Now, with candor and dignity, Representative Pressley is speaking honestly about hair loss and alopecia, and her own personal black hair story.  

 

I have long admired Representative Ayanna Pressley’s signature Senegalese twists.  Her choice in hairstyle wasn’t just beautiful, it was also culturally reaffirming.  Her choice of hairstyle told little black girls and grown black women:  Yes, your hair is enough.  Yes, you are enough. 

 

For too long, black hair and hairstyles have been subjugated, insulted and looked down upon.  Discrimination on the basis of hair is nothing new (Ask any black woman).   For black women that feared that a natural hairstyle would not be perceived as professional, Representative Pressley’s hair was proof positive that natural hair styles are professional, attractive and belong everywhere, including in the highest echelons of American politics.  Now, Representative Pressley is opening doors for us all over again, by speaking honestly, candidly and transparently about her own hair loss story and battle with alopecia. 

 

Rep. Ayanna Pressley: Speaking Honestly about Hair Loss

In a video published by The Root, Representative Pressley speaks candidly about her hair, her signature twist hairstyle and about losing all her hair.  As I listened to her words and watched her, I was both stunned and chilled by her bravery, grace and beauty.   Once again, she continues to open doors for Black women:  This time with her transparency.

 

“I’m ready now because I want to be freed from the secret and the shame that that secret carries with it, and because I’m not here just to occupy space…I’m here to create it.” 

-Representative Ayanna Pressley

 

 

Black Women: Hair Loss and Alopecia

Alopecia is a general term for hair loss, and there are many different types of alopecia.  Black women suffer at disproportionate rates from alopecia, and hair loss has been called an epidemic for black women.  More than 50% of African American women have been reported to have dealt with hair loss, including from serious and permanent types of hair loss like traction alopecia, discoid lupus and CCCA

 

Hair Loss: Is Your Physician Well Trained?

Adding to the problem of treating hair loss and alopecia in the black community has been the lack of knowledge about black hair among physicians.  In one report, 47% of dermatologists and dermatology residents reported that their medical training was inadequate in educating them on skin conditions in blacks. 

 

In fact, many physicians may be uncomfortable treating people of color.  This discomfort does not go undetected.  In this report, 68% of black women who had gone to a doctor with hair and scalp issues felt that their doctor did not understand black hair!  Black women experiencing hair loss surely pick up on this lack of knowledge and confidence in treating black hair, and this lack of understanding of black hair may discourage black women from seeking the care that they need and deserve. 

 

Hair Loss:  You Are Not Alone

Representative Pressley’s message about her hair story is one of self-acceptance and self-love, but it’s also a clarion call to those with alopecia to speak up and speak their truths.  Representative Pressley has been more generous than she knows.  By being candid, raw and transparent, she has given so many people an avenue for speaking honestly about hair loss and alopecia—openly and without fear and has shed light into a dark corner that needs to be brought out into the brightness of day.

Featured Image Courtesy: John Tlumacki, The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The information contained on this website is made available for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. By accessing this website, you understand and acknowledge that there is no physician-patient relationship between you and us.  Some links on this website are affiliate links from which we may receive a small commission from sales. The website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and as an Amazon associate the website earns from qualifying purchases.

©2024 MDhairmixtress.com – All Right Reserved.

Better Life. Better You.

Sign up to receive VIP updates, discounts and special offers to your inbox